Posts

How to Make Sourdough Bread More Sour

Image
Growing up, my dad would bake a loaf of sourdough every weekend. I loved that bread. It was nice and tart.  When we’d take trips to San Fransisco we’d get some local bread and compare to my dad’s.  The sourness level was comparable. Of course I was biased, but I thought my dad’s bread was just as good. About 12 years ago I started trying to recreate my dad’s recipe in a gluten free version. I’ve done a lot of research on the topic of sourness in sourdough in order to reverse-engineer my dad's San Fransisco style sourdough recipe to make it gluten free. There is more info out there about wheaten/rye baking so that became the basis of most of my research. There are a lot of factors in the flavor of your home-baked sourdough product: the starter, the method, and the ingredients. Starter You don’t necessarily have to create a special starter for sour bread.  However, there are a few things that might help. Use the starter after peak, even well after its optimal window for yeast growth.
Post a Comment
Read more

Blond Sandwich Bread Recipe: Grain-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free

Image
It's been awhile since I posted the original Grain-free Sandwich Bread Recipe.  That recipe contained an single egg... this one doesn't.  To span that gap took endless testing, but here I am with my new egg-free recipe, and it's better than ever! When I make this recipe it fills the house with the most amazing scent of baking bread.  But what I like the most about it is how fluffy this bread is, and how flexible. The egg replacer here is flax seed.  It wasn't an exact swap though.  I had to make some other alterations, including reducing the starches.  However, the result is every bit as fluffy, maybe fluffier, than the original. A few helpful affiliate links to give you an idea of what tools and ingredients are needed: A stand mixer.  You can hand mix but this tool makes it much easier with gluten-free dough.  I use the Kitchenaid Artisan Stand Mixer  in black. I use a 4x4x9  USA Steel Pullman Loaf pan  - the lid is optional but I do use it. I got the buckwheat flour
Post a Comment
Read more

Fluffy White Bread, Gluten free, Vegan Recipe

Image
 Fluffy, white, soft, flexible, light gluten-free bread. I've been using this recipe for about 10 years.  It's the recipe I pull out when I'm baking for a gluten eating crowd, because people always love it.  When my niece was young she would only eat white bread.  She could eat half a boule on her own.  Now I think she'd old enough that she only restrains herself out of politeness.  But that's how I know when something is really good, is when a kid who's too young to be polite, and normally eats gluten bread, will devour half a loaf.   I've tried many variations on this recipe .  It rarely fails, even with some wild ideas I've had.  I always get a really good rise and the dough is really nice to work with.  It's kneadable and shapeable.  If you're new to gluten-free but know bread baking, this is the recipe that you should start out with to try gluten-free because the process is relatively "normal."  It's a double rise, and it uses
16 comments
Read more

Homemade Classic White Sandwich Bread

Image
I've been baking since before I met my husband ten years ago.  He eats gluten but appreciates my baking efforts and gives me feedback on texture compared to gluten products, which he consumes regularly on his lunch break at work in the form of sandwiches.  I'm a photographer too but he graces the wall of his office with blown-up cell phone shots of half-eaten sandwiches and burritos from his favorite shops.  He likes my baked goods, sure, but who can blame him for going for gluten? This last few weeks as I was testing this recipe, however, something shifted.  I finally heard these words: "you can make me this every weekend for the rest of my life."   I know my husband likes a bread I made when he immediately plans what sandwich to make from it.  Well, he's done that for every test loaf I've made for this bread.  A few days ago, in fact, he ate a breakfast sandwich with this bread, got catered burgers for lunch at work, then came home and requested a steak sand
31 comments
Read more